USAG vows to vehemently oppose upward review of fees for 2020/21 academic year

The University Students’ Association of Ghana (USAG) has vowed to vehemently oppose any attempt by any tertiary institution to implement an upward review in fees for the 2020/2021 academic year.

The Association says that an increment in fees is going to be a slap in the faces of students.

This follows the proposed increase in school fees by some Universities including the University of Ghana which has increased its fees by 12% and the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) which has also increased its fees by 5% ahead of the 2020/2021 academic year.

In an interview on Campus Exclusive, President of USAG, Paul Abrokwah indicated that at a time when the country’s economy was being mauled by the COVID–19 pandemic, students deserved some level of financial support.

He thus assured students of the commitment of USAG to oppose the implementation of the fee increment.

“I want to assure the Ghanaian students that we will not allow such a thing to happen because we were even thinking that at this particular moment there should be an incentive or a reduction package for students, continuing students and even those who are even coming because of the COVID–19.

“Nobody was able to mobilize money or to work to get money and we all know that we are in difficulty so if the is going to be an increment then it is going to be a slap in our face so the is the need for a reduction instead,” he stated.

Paul Abrokwah further advised the management of tertiary institutions to take a cue from the University of Development Studies(UDS) which has reduced academic fees for the 2020/2021 academic year by 16% over the financial impact of the COVID–19 pandemic on families and individuals.

He additionally cautioned Vice-Chancellors in Ghana to be wary of being seen as championing the course of a political party as the country gears up for the December 7 polls.

“We are in a political season so whatever we do has a political meaning attached to it. When students called on me for this issue of fee increment, the first statement that they made is that the two Vice-Chancellors or two leadership should be taken out because it seems they want to dance to a particular tune of political music.

“That is the question the students were raising because somebody promised to slash school fees by 50% so you want to increase so that when the students will not be able to pay, they will go and vote for someone who will reduce it by 50%,” he argued.

He thus appealed to the tertiary institutions to demand incentives from government if it needs some financial support and not burden students with an increment in fees.

“…it is left with Vice Chancellors Ghana to also demand for a package of incentives from government but you don’t come and kill us…don’t come and kill us the innocent people…demand for incentive from government…they have a Union which is called Vice Chancellors Ghana and we have our Union USAG which is University Students’ Association so we are pushing “don’t increase it”…if you think if you don’t increase it you are going to suffer, then tell government,” he bellowed.